The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s (ELFA) Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25), which reports economic activity from 25 companies representing a cross section of the $900 billion equipment finance sector, shows their overall new business volume for October was $10.1 billion, up 14% year-over-year from new business volume in October 2018. Volume was up 1% month-to-month from $10.0 billion in September. Year to date, cumulative new business volume was up 6% compared to 2018.
Receivables over 30 days were 2.0%, up from 1.70% the previous month and up from 1.70% the same period in 2018. Charge-offs were 0.46%, up from 0.40% the previous month, and up from 0.37% in the year-earlier period.
Credit approvals totaled 76.3%, unchanged from September. Total headcount for equipment finance companies was down 3.0% year-over-year.
Separately, the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s Monthly Confidence Index (MCI-EFI) in November is 54.9, an increase from the October index of 51.4.
“Buoyed by solid fundamentals in the U.S. economy, new business volume reported in the October MLFI-25 survey increased yet again. These data, coupled with anecdotal information gathered from members across multiple industry sectors at ELFA’s Annual Convention later in the month, reflect the broader equipment finance industry continuing to fire on most, if not all, cylinders,” says ELFA President and CEO Ralph Petta. “Of some concern is slightly elevated charge-off and delinquency data. This bears monitoring as the year comes to a close.”
For more information, visit: www.elfaonline.org
